Rodney Stark Books

In The victory of reason, sociologist Stark advances the idea that Christianity and its related institutions are directly responsible for the most significant intellectual, political, scientific, and economic breakthroughs of the past millennium. In Stark's view, what has propelled the West is not the tension between secular and nonsecular society, nor the pitting of science and the humanities against religious belief. Christian theology, Stark asserts, is the very font of reason. While the world's other great belief systems emphasized mystery, obedience, or introspection, Christianity alone embraced logic and reason as the path toward enlightenment, freedom, and progress.--From publisher description

The book explores the remarkable rise of Christianity from its humble beginnings, focusing on the influential preaching of a Galilean carpenter. It examines the demographics of early followers, the spread of the faith, and the factors that contributed to its growth into the world's largest religion. Utilizing quantitative data and contemporary scholarship, Rodney Stark challenges established narratives about the early church's expansion, revealing new insights into its historical impact and the dynamics of belief and conversion.

In this page-turning, myth-busting history, acclaimed author Rodney Stark shows exactly why Western civilization triumphed over other cultures. Taking readers on a thrilling journey from ancient Greece to the present, Stark challenges much of the received wisdom about Western history, and debunks some absurd fabrications that have flourished in the past few decades.

This "fresh, blunt, and highly persuasive account of how the West was won—for Jesus" (Newsweek) is now available in paperback. Stark's provocative report challenges conventional wisdom and finds that Christianity's astounding dominance of the Western world arose from its offer of a better, more secure way of life. "Compelling reading" (Library Journal) that is sure to "generate spirited argument" (Publishers Weekly), this account of Christianity's remarkable growth within the Roman Empire is the subject of much fanfare. "Anyone who has puzzled over Christianity's rise to dominance...must read it." says Yale University's Wayne A. Meeks, for The Rise of Christianity makes a compelling case for startling conclusions. Combining his expertise in social science with historical evidence, and his insight into contemporary religion's appeal, Stark finds that early Christianity attracted the privileged rather than the poor, that most early converts were women or marginalized Jews—and ultimately "that Christianity was a success because it proved those who joined it with a more appealing, more assuring, happier, and perhaps longer life" (Andrew M. Greeley, University of Chicago).

Why do people join cults? Why do they leave? And how do they manage to stay in them, if that's what they've decided to do? What are cults, anyway? Moonies? Hare Krishnas? The Mormons? The Moral Majority? Manson? Rodney Stark, editor of Religious Genesis, Exodus, and Numbers, criticizes the media attention given to pseudo-experts on the cults. It seems odd, he says in his introduction, ôthat the media, usually so eager to reveal dirty secrets, fail to discover that some of their experts on religious movements are poorly regarded by others in the field, while most are held in no regard at all, since they have never participated in the field.ö His volume explores a broader range of issues and groups than is generally considered ôhotö by the press. Groups considered are-in addition to Rajneesh, the Unification Church and Hare Krishna, the Bo Peep UFO cult, the many faces of the ôhuman potentialö movement, the Moral Majority, Ian Paisley's Protestants in Northern Ireland, astrology and indigenous American groups such as the Mormons and Seventh Day Adventists. Instead of the tired ôbrainwashingö explanation of why people join fringe religious movements, this book provides clear-headed analyses of recruitment, disaffection and socialization in non-mainstream religious groups.

Rodney Stark's provocative work argues that our modern culture has been shaped by people acting for the glory of God. He explores the widespread consequences of monotheism, demonstrating how the Christian conception of God led to pivotal events such as the Protestant Reformation, the rise of modern science, the European witch-hunts, and the Western abolition of slavery. Stark explains the different cultural outcomes of Christian and Islamic images of God, highlighting why Christians fostered science, engaged in witch-hunts, and denounced slavery, while Muslims did not. He attributes these phenomena to the pressures within monotheistic organizations that maintain religious intensity, resulting in conflicts and schisms with significant social implications. Stark challenges commonly held beliefs, presenting the sixteenth-century scientific advancement not as a sudden break from religion but as a gradual evolution from medieval theology. He also links the same ideas about God that spurred scientific progress to the intense witch-hunting in Europe, even among notable scientists. Furthermore, he reveals that the Christian condemnation of slavery was intertwined with the fervor of some of the most zealous witch-hunters, who were also key figures in abolitionist movements. This narrative reshapes our understanding of religion's historical role and the forces behind what we consider secular progress.

This edition offers research, statistics and stories that document-increased participation in religious groups in the US in the 21st century. New chapters chart the development of African American churches from the early 19th century and the ethnic religious communities of recent immigrants.

Western history would be vastly different without the belief in One True God. While wars would still exist, religious wars would be absent. Moral codes might prevail, but Commandments would not. If the Jews had been polytheists, they would be just another forgotten people, as extinct as the Babylonians. Likewise, if Christians had presented Jesus as just "another" God, their faith might have faded like Mithraism. Islam, too, would not have emerged from the desert had Muhammad not established Allah as the sole deity, distinct from Arab paganism. The three major monotheistic religions transformed everything. Rodney Stark, with his usual clarity, explores the immense power of monotheism to both unite and divide. He investigates the missionizing efforts of Jews, Christians, and Muslims, examining when and why these efforts stalled. Stark delves into the late eleventh century's rising intolerance towards Jews, leading to mass murders, and analyzes the geographic concentration of Christian and Muslim pogroms. He also considers how Jews managed to endure as a minority faith amidst intense conversion pressures and their instances of assimilation. In the final chapter, Stark reflects on the American experience, illustrating how committed monotheists can maintain civility toward one another. This sweeping social history reveals how monotheism has shaped the past and influenced the modern world.

First Published in 1997. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

SOCIOLOGY is truly a classic introductory text which introduces students to the methods and theories of sociology using Rodney Stark's hallmark "Over the Shoulder of a professional sociologist" approach, presenting sociology on a personal level. Stark describes what sociologists do and how they do it, focusing first on the questions they pose and how they search for and formulate their answers, and then moving on to study their answers and conclusions. In this way, he effectively explores themes, raising issues in a straightforward manner with historical accuracy and solid research. The text employs a unique feature titled "A Closer View," which illustrates seminal research studies to introduce students to the sociological imagination and the world around them.